Review: Alien Breed Evolution
Game: Alien Breed Evolution
Format: XBLA
Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Team 17
Whilst the graphics have been given a total makeover, ABE remains true to its predecessor by keeping the core gameplay unchanged. It’s a top-down, isometric shooter and it’s still scary as hell (at least for a wimp like me).
As Theodore J. Conrad, the chief engineer aboard the good ship Leopold, its your sole duty to save every last human cretin smart enough to still be alive and eliminate the alien breed who have decided to crash your party without a Facebook invite.
Of course like any other survival horror game, generators need to be powered up, keys need to be found and endless waves of grotesque creatures must be eradicated using an assortment of weapons, including a laser rifle and the ever popular shotgun.
Move over Isaac! There's a new space engineer in...space.
But even though it is your typical sci-fi horror, it’s a really good example of how a survival horror game should be made. It might seem like you are constantly back tracking and retracing your steps, but it never gets old. If you have the patience to stick with it the story will continually reward you for carrying out such tasks, despite how monotonous they may be. ABE persistently advances, keeping you sucked into the game like a hoover to a teenage boy’s genitals.
The use of visuals and sound are incredibly atmospheric and always keep within the game’s context. This means that whether you’re fighting off waves of face-huggers or trailing dark hallways in search of extra ammo, you are always accompanied by the perfect soundtrack.
The voice acting is brilliantly believable and the game attempts to stand out from the crowd by rewarding the player with unique, graphic novel inspired cutscenes after finishing a level with all limbs intact.
One of the better looking titles on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Suffer together in Alien Breed Evolutions new co-op mode.
- Adam Radcliffe
Review Round-Up
Graphics: 4/5 Nothing revolutionary but they provide a perfect setting for this rejuvenated franchise.
Sound: 4.5/5 Deeply atmospheric, wonderfully sci-fi and almost can’t be faulted.
Gameplay: 3.5/5 A little repetitive and nothing new, but enjoyable and solid nonetheless.
Longevity: 3/5 A nice introduction to a resurrected series. At times frustratingly hard, but with the added bonus of multiplayer, it’s well worth the 800 MSP price point.
Overall: 4 disgusting, stench ridden, maggot infested, flatulent, butt ugly alien corpses out of 5.
[starreview tpl=16]
You nailed it on the second paragraph. }
Tried the demo…didn’t think much of it…but i’m so tempted to buy this.